let me paint a picture for you.
you are standing in an open field. it's summer. the sun is just beginning it's descent to the west. there is prairie grass as far as the eye can see. dandelions, thistle, a beautiful pasture of green. the wind is ever so present. just strong enough to send a breeze through the air and across your skin. you inhale deeply, and all you can smell is earth. it's refreshing, it's natural, it's real.
to your left, you see cattle grazing on the honeysuckles, whipping their tails with delight. they are free to roam the countryside, and the hills are their buffet. over and to the right, you see a mud hole. there are pigs making their way back and forth from the mud hole to the grass, eating and splashing. you know this is their element. you can see it in their eyes. they are happy, they are dirty, and their bellies are full. in the distance, you see a farmhouse. there is a big tree out back, with a tire swing. you can hear laughter, and a screen door slam shut. two kids run from the house to the yard where a picnic table is waiting, piled high with food. as you walk closer, you see the watermelon, the strawberries and the baskets of fresh bread. there is corn on the cob, pink lemonade and a stack of hamburgers at the center of the table. a family gathers around, says a prayer for the meal, and digs in.
here are some questions for you. right before you "dig in", do you wonder what you're eating? do you think about where it came from, how it was produced, or whether or not it's good for your body? do you think about whether or not your body will be able to easily digest it, if it will cause you to gain weight, or if it's full of vitamins and minerals? Or on the other side of the coin, if it's plump full of antibiotics, pesticides and other harmful toxins that your body was not meant to consume? have you ever wondered if what you're eating made it from the farm to your plate in an ethical manner? i could keep asking questions, but i'll let you rest, for a moment.
i think it's safe to say that most of us don't think about these things before we take a big bite out of a juicy hamburger. we don't think twice before we ravage a bag of chips or inhale a package of m&ms. we just eat. we eat because we're hungry, because it makes us feel good and because it's fun. eating is enjoyable and what once was something we did to stay alive, has turned into a reason to get together with friends and family, a solution for a bad day, and an excuse to spend lots of money.
let's go back to the picture i tried to help paint for you at the beginning. when you think about farms, is that how you picture it? cattle and pigs roaming the open fields, filling up on grass and living life the way God intended? if that IS how you picture it, you're not alone. i think most of us would like to believe that is how it works. we feel better picturing our steak that way. it seems ethical, healthy and...right. however, this "idea" of a farm, is getting harder and harder to come by. these types of farms hardly exist anymore. what has replaced them, is the answer to our society's demand for cheap, convenient food.
they are called stockyards. in a stockyard, animals live in a fenced in area so small they can hardly even lay down. they trample each other, they stand in their own manure all day, and many of them eat corn and animal parts (instead of grass). they get diseases and are often given "antibiotics" to heal them. then, after their very short time on earth, they get slaughtered in ways that we don't like to think about and they end up in our local grocery store chains at a price we like to see. (SALE: T-Bone Steaks for just $3.99 a lb!)
We don't like to think about stockyards, yet we are the ones that have allowed it to happen. Without even realizing it. We hit up the drive-thru at McDonald's and want a tasty burger, at a good price. Oh, and we want it NOW. As a society, we demand two things: cheap prices and convenience. I don't think we meant to get this way, but it's been the natural progression - and to go backwards, wouldn't make sense. Some of us couldn't comprehend what it would be like to have to place an order for a pound of ground beef and pick it up at a farm 3 days later. That seems outrageous. Who would do that, right?
The answer is, a lot of people do that. We just don't hear about them, and it's a world most of us know nothing about. My husband and I knew very little about this world, until recently. About a month ago, we got Netflix, and we've been watching a lot of movies. We are big documentary geeks, and one of the first ones we watched (after some weird movie about a rock band called "Anvil" that never made it big) was FOOD INC. It blew both of us away. Out the door and down the street actually. It was a huge eye-opener.
the jist of the movie is simple. we, as a society, know very little about what we eat, where it came from and whether or not it's good for our body. It talks about how there is a handful of corporations that monopolize the entire food industry and how they have put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our environment. i think the reason i loved and hated this movie so much at the same time, was because i knew by seeing it, i had come to a turning point. i was in one of those places where to go on as normal, wouldn't be ok anymore - but - to make serious changes, would require effort and would be hard. however, here i was, and it was time to make a decision. good thing mark felt the same way. we had been introduced to a whole different perspective. this "organic/green/sustainable" stuff meant very little to us. we had heard about it from time to time, and we knew some people that were "into it" but we just didn't know enough to care or make any changes. after this movie, we both felt a similar conviction. we wanted to do what we "could do" to make a difference.
so, what does that look like for us, thus far? a few things. first, we have decided to limit our fast food consumption. it would be easy to say "oh, i will never eat fast food again." however, i know that isn't practical. i will. i know i will. BUT, i won't do it nearly as often. i didn't eat much fast food to begin with, but this whole conviction has really motivated me to cut it out of my life even more, if not altogether.
second, we've decided to start buying the majority of our groceries from a local co-op. it's crazy how you can discover several alternatives to eating healthy and making wise food choices when you actually LOOK for them. a co-op, in case you aren't familiar with the term, is basically a community owned grocery store that sells locally grown goods (produce, meat, dairy etc) and organic products. we have found that though some things are a little more expensive, the pricing is a lot more comparable than we thought it would be. it was hard at first, to fork over the big bucks for some beef and a 1/2 gallon of milk, but i got over it. i just had to remind myself that me choosing to do this, IS making a difference. it's supporting local farmers, it's supporting the environment, it's supporting the notion of raising animals in an ethical way, and it's supporting my own body by choosing to fill it with things that are more natural and healthy. if i still haven't convinced you, look at it this way. If you eat whatever you want now, you'll pay the consequences later with your health. If you pay a little more NOW for that carton of eggs or that gallon of milk, you might just live a long, healthy life and nip all those medical bills in the bud.
third, we are going to start buying meat and dairy from a local farm. our friend hope lien told us about a local farm that she buys milk from, and we thought we would give it shot. we haven't purchased through them yet, but we've studied their web site and we're more than excited to start working with them. i think it will be a great experience and it feels good to know you CAN cut out the middle man and do things old school if you want to. it's so great to know that we have options, and we can utilize them if we dig around and find them. i think all too often, i would walk into Rainbow or Cub and not even consider that i had a different option. i believed that there was no other choice. well, it's not true. there are other choices. you can stick it to the man - if you want to.
well, in conclusion, i hope if you actually read all of this you learned something from it. it took me three hours to say what i wanted to say and i feel like i only touched the surface!
i would encourage you to check out these films and web sites for more information.
Documentaries
FOOD INC
FRESH
Food Co-Ops in MPLS
The Wedge
Seward
Linden Hills
Eastside (this is the one i shop at!)
North Country
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
wisdom teeth
Many of you know that I recently had my wisdom teeth "extracted." I went in for a routine surgery on Thursday, Dec. 3. They hooked me up to the funny gas and asleep I went. About an hour later, I awoke to a nurse pulling bloody gauze out of my mouth and helping me into a wheel chair. We wheeled to a room nearby and she helped me lay on a mock bed in the "resting" area. I've heard many funny "post anesthesia" stories. This isn't one of them. I didn't have that kind of experience. I pretty much just woke up, laid there and got my bearings. I heard someone screaming nearby - and then i started laughing. I don't know why that struck me as funny, but in the moment, I found it laughable.
I was then escorted to another room where Mark came to join me. They gave us the rundown, told me what to expect, where to pick up my prescription, the whole works. Should be a piece of cake, I thought. We walked to the car (I totally was able to walk myself) and I didn't even fall asleep on the way home. I was pretty "with it" and I was impressed that I wasn't reacting to the anesthesia more.
We got to Walgreens to pick up my Vicodin and as we were waiting in the parking lot, I suddenly felt very emotional. I started to bawl and Mark took me home. Neither of us knew why I was crying, he just knew I wanted to be at home.
Then - it began.
The WORST experience of my life (so far).
I ate some applesauce because it was all I could fit in my mouth. I wanted to eat enough to fill my stomach so I could begin taking my pain killers. I popped one in and I waited. Soon after, I was sleeping on the couch. A groggy haze came over me and I just needed to close my eyes. When I woke up, it was time to take another pill...so I ate a little bit more and took another. Shortly after, I was in the bathroom throwing up everything I had just ate. This continued, off and on, for the rest of the day. Any time I ate anything, it was only moments before I barfed it up. Sorry to be graphic, but it's true. And this was violent vomiting, if I can say that. I'm pretty sure I could have sprayed someone across the room it was so forceful. It was very sick.
I decided at this point that painkillers just weren't for me, and that I wouldn't be taking anymore. I started taking ibuprofen, crossing my fingers that it would be enough.
Day 2 went well. I could hardly feel the pain. My mom came and brought me lunch and we watched "17 again". Love that Zac Efron. He is my craddle-robber crush (though i think i'm only a year or two older than him). All was good. I was so happy. I couldn't believe how easy this was. I thought I was set.
I went to bed that night and woke up around 2 am. My mouth was throbbing. It was a pain like no other. You know when you haven't flossed in a REALLY long time, and then you get something stuck in your teeth, and you floss the crap out of it until it throbs and hurts? Ok, it was kind of like that, except a million times worse, and it was radiating throughout my entire face and up to my ears. I could hardly stand it. I obviously couldn't sleep through it so I woke up and started icing it. I didn't want to admit it at first, but I knew I was going to have to take another Vicodin, because this just wasn't going to work for me. After much contemplation, I ate a piece of bread, drank a huge glass of water, and popped another pill.
It took a while to kick in, and even when it did, it didn't work with the intensity that I felt it should have. It still hurt, but it was mangageable. I drifted to sleep off and on for the rest of the night.
The next THREE days I dealt with this. I would sleep from like 10 pm to 1 or 2 am and then be up the rest of the day. I was pretty sure I had a dry socket, BUT, because it was the weekend, I was kind of screwed. I called the dental office on Sunday morning because I just couldn't take it anymore. He told me that it was probably too early for me to actually have a dry socket (because it was only day 4) and that I should come in Monday morning and they would take a peek. Not what I wanted to hear. I wanted relief, man! I was so tired and so SICK of it. I had been laying on the same couch for four days now, staring at our fake Christmas tree, watching movies and catching up on episodes of "Glee." I needed a change of scenery if I was going to have to deal with this for one more day. Mark took me up to my parents, and just being there made me feel better. More people to talk to, a prettier Christmas tree to enjoy, a wonderful, loving dog named Chief to love me and cuddle with me. It was good.
There were a few times that night that I just started crying. I couldn't help it. It hurt SO bad I just wanted to knock myself out so I wouldn't have to deal with it. The painkillers + ibuprofen weren't working - and it was making me sick. On top of the pain, I was naseaus. It was terrible.
I woke up at 2:45, ready to be annoyed and "deal" once again. I was especially naseuas. I found that there is nothing good on television between the hours of 2 am and 5 am. There was nobody online to chat with. I had nothing to distract myself, and the time dragged by. My dog was confused why I was awake. I was clearly interrupting his pattern (and i probably took his bed on the couch!)
My mom finally woke up at 5 am and joined me. We got ready and drove down to the oral surgeon in St. Paul. We waited a few minutes, and were escorted into a room. I told them what was happening, they told me i DID have a dry socket and then they explained what they would do. To sum it up, he basically took a tiny piece of medicinal guaze and jammed it deep down into the socket. Imagine stabbing a sore in your mouth over and over. That's what it felt like. I clinched my fingers together as tight as I could. And that was that. 30 seconds later, it was in. It stung for about 5 minutes, and then it was INSTANT relief. I couldn't not believe it! I could not believe how much better it felt. In fact, it didn't even hurt anymore. It was insane.
So now it is Tuesday. I still haven't been able to sleep well because my mouth is pretty sore. It's yellow on my jaw line and will probably turn black and blue. Those teeth must have been in there pretty good. Tomorrow, I go back and they take out the guaze apparently. Not sure what that means, or what that feels like. I'm hoping it won't be too painful.
I have to say, I'm looking forward to eating things and not worrying about stuff getting caught in my teeth. I'm looking foward to opening my mouth big enough to take a big bite of something I like. I'm looking forward to eating something crunchy. I'm looking forward to sleeping through the night. I'm looking forward to not icing my face and constantly taking ibuprofen.
This has been an experience. And I know many of you have probably had similar experiences with your wisdom teeth, but I just wanted to share mine and leave you with this.
If you haven't had yours out, and they AREN'T hurting you, DON'T DO IT. I was talking to my Dad about this the other night, and he had a good point. He doesn't know anyone from his "generation" that had their wisdom teeth out. He never got his out, and he has had no problems. He thinks it's actually just a scam to make money. Ha. I'm starting to wonder if he could be right.
Your dentist might tell you that you NEED to get them out, but you really don't need to do it unless they cause problems for you. My dentist told me I needed to, but my teeth weren't hurting me. They were just sitting there, and had been sitting there for a while. SO, now that I look back, and think of how terrible it all was, I probably wouldn't have done it. Not until I really, actually had to.
So that is my pity party story. A lot of people have been asking how it went, or how I'm feeling and now I've answered all of that without having to open my mouth, which is nice - because it still hurts :)
I was then escorted to another room where Mark came to join me. They gave us the rundown, told me what to expect, where to pick up my prescription, the whole works. Should be a piece of cake, I thought. We walked to the car (I totally was able to walk myself) and I didn't even fall asleep on the way home. I was pretty "with it" and I was impressed that I wasn't reacting to the anesthesia more.
We got to Walgreens to pick up my Vicodin and as we were waiting in the parking lot, I suddenly felt very emotional. I started to bawl and Mark took me home. Neither of us knew why I was crying, he just knew I wanted to be at home.
Then - it began.
The WORST experience of my life (so far).
I ate some applesauce because it was all I could fit in my mouth. I wanted to eat enough to fill my stomach so I could begin taking my pain killers. I popped one in and I waited. Soon after, I was sleeping on the couch. A groggy haze came over me and I just needed to close my eyes. When I woke up, it was time to take another pill...so I ate a little bit more and took another. Shortly after, I was in the bathroom throwing up everything I had just ate. This continued, off and on, for the rest of the day. Any time I ate anything, it was only moments before I barfed it up. Sorry to be graphic, but it's true. And this was violent vomiting, if I can say that. I'm pretty sure I could have sprayed someone across the room it was so forceful. It was very sick.
I decided at this point that painkillers just weren't for me, and that I wouldn't be taking anymore. I started taking ibuprofen, crossing my fingers that it would be enough.
Day 2 went well. I could hardly feel the pain. My mom came and brought me lunch and we watched "17 again". Love that Zac Efron. He is my craddle-robber crush (though i think i'm only a year or two older than him). All was good. I was so happy. I couldn't believe how easy this was. I thought I was set.
I went to bed that night and woke up around 2 am. My mouth was throbbing. It was a pain like no other. You know when you haven't flossed in a REALLY long time, and then you get something stuck in your teeth, and you floss the crap out of it until it throbs and hurts? Ok, it was kind of like that, except a million times worse, and it was radiating throughout my entire face and up to my ears. I could hardly stand it. I obviously couldn't sleep through it so I woke up and started icing it. I didn't want to admit it at first, but I knew I was going to have to take another Vicodin, because this just wasn't going to work for me. After much contemplation, I ate a piece of bread, drank a huge glass of water, and popped another pill.
It took a while to kick in, and even when it did, it didn't work with the intensity that I felt it should have. It still hurt, but it was mangageable. I drifted to sleep off and on for the rest of the night.
The next THREE days I dealt with this. I would sleep from like 10 pm to 1 or 2 am and then be up the rest of the day. I was pretty sure I had a dry socket, BUT, because it was the weekend, I was kind of screwed. I called the dental office on Sunday morning because I just couldn't take it anymore. He told me that it was probably too early for me to actually have a dry socket (because it was only day 4) and that I should come in Monday morning and they would take a peek. Not what I wanted to hear. I wanted relief, man! I was so tired and so SICK of it. I had been laying on the same couch for four days now, staring at our fake Christmas tree, watching movies and catching up on episodes of "Glee." I needed a change of scenery if I was going to have to deal with this for one more day. Mark took me up to my parents, and just being there made me feel better. More people to talk to, a prettier Christmas tree to enjoy, a wonderful, loving dog named Chief to love me and cuddle with me. It was good.
There were a few times that night that I just started crying. I couldn't help it. It hurt SO bad I just wanted to knock myself out so I wouldn't have to deal with it. The painkillers + ibuprofen weren't working - and it was making me sick. On top of the pain, I was naseaus. It was terrible.
I woke up at 2:45, ready to be annoyed and "deal" once again. I was especially naseuas. I found that there is nothing good on television between the hours of 2 am and 5 am. There was nobody online to chat with. I had nothing to distract myself, and the time dragged by. My dog was confused why I was awake. I was clearly interrupting his pattern (and i probably took his bed on the couch!)
My mom finally woke up at 5 am and joined me. We got ready and drove down to the oral surgeon in St. Paul. We waited a few minutes, and were escorted into a room. I told them what was happening, they told me i DID have a dry socket and then they explained what they would do. To sum it up, he basically took a tiny piece of medicinal guaze and jammed it deep down into the socket. Imagine stabbing a sore in your mouth over and over. That's what it felt like. I clinched my fingers together as tight as I could. And that was that. 30 seconds later, it was in. It stung for about 5 minutes, and then it was INSTANT relief. I couldn't not believe it! I could not believe how much better it felt. In fact, it didn't even hurt anymore. It was insane.
So now it is Tuesday. I still haven't been able to sleep well because my mouth is pretty sore. It's yellow on my jaw line and will probably turn black and blue. Those teeth must have been in there pretty good. Tomorrow, I go back and they take out the guaze apparently. Not sure what that means, or what that feels like. I'm hoping it won't be too painful.
I have to say, I'm looking forward to eating things and not worrying about stuff getting caught in my teeth. I'm looking foward to opening my mouth big enough to take a big bite of something I like. I'm looking forward to eating something crunchy. I'm looking forward to sleeping through the night. I'm looking forward to not icing my face and constantly taking ibuprofen.
This has been an experience. And I know many of you have probably had similar experiences with your wisdom teeth, but I just wanted to share mine and leave you with this.
If you haven't had yours out, and they AREN'T hurting you, DON'T DO IT. I was talking to my Dad about this the other night, and he had a good point. He doesn't know anyone from his "generation" that had their wisdom teeth out. He never got his out, and he has had no problems. He thinks it's actually just a scam to make money. Ha. I'm starting to wonder if he could be right.
Your dentist might tell you that you NEED to get them out, but you really don't need to do it unless they cause problems for you. My dentist told me I needed to, but my teeth weren't hurting me. They were just sitting there, and had been sitting there for a while. SO, now that I look back, and think of how terrible it all was, I probably wouldn't have done it. Not until I really, actually had to.
So that is my pity party story. A lot of people have been asking how it went, or how I'm feeling and now I've answered all of that without having to open my mouth, which is nice - because it still hurts :)
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